Electrical apparatus



Feb. 3, 1953 R, B CLARK 2,627,583

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Fles. L2' INVENTOR ATTORN EY Feb. 3, 1953 R. B.CLARK 2,527,583

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1949 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 INVENTOR.mw/I, ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 3, 1953 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Richard B.Clark, Sidney, N. Y., assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, New York,N. Y., a

corporation of Delaware Application June 29, 1949, Serial No. 102,120

(Cl. S-70) 7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to electrical apparatus and more particularly toelectrical current generating and distributing means adapted for use ininternal combustion engine ignition systems or the like.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novellyconstructed magneto-generator and associated current distribution means.

Another object of the invention is to provide Va novel magneto-generatorwherein high eiliciency is attained by materially reducing magnetic andelectrical losses through eddy currents and the like.

Still another object is to provide a radioshielded device of the abovecharacter which is adapted in a novel manner for water-tight associationwith an engine.

A further obj ect is to provide a novel magnetogenerator and casingcombination whereby the operating parts may be removed as a unit, andproperly re-installed on the engine with utmost facility and withoutnecessity for readjustment relative to the engine.

A still further object is to provide a magnetogenerator or the likewhich is so constructed as to insure maximum use of the availablemagnetic flux, whereby the space required for and the weight of a deviceof given output capacity are reduced to a minimum.

Another object is to provide novel water-tight means on a device of theabove character for use in intermittently lubricating an internal partsuch as a circuit breaker cam.

The above and further objects and novel featurcs of the invention willmore fully appear from the following detail description when the same isread in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expresslyunderstood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose ofillustration only and are not intended as a denition of the limits ofthe invention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like partsthroughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, mostly in section and with parts broken awayand parts removed, of one form magneto-generator embodying the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on line 2 2 ofFig. 3 and showing the stator portion of the magnetic path of the deviceOf Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 2,the section being taken substantially on line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an end View taken from the right side of Fig. 1 with thecasing cover and distributor block removed;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the device of Fig. 1, the View being takensubstantially on line 5 5 of Fig. l; and,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of an oiler for applying a lubricant to thecircuit breaker cam of the device of Fig. 1.

The present invention is illustrated in the drawings, by way of exampleonly, in the form of a magneto generator adapted to supply ignitionenergy for an eight-cylinder, four-stroke cycle engine when driven atone-half the speed of the engine crank shaft. As shown, the electricalenergy creating portion of the device comprises a rotating magnetic uxdistributor I0 and a cooperating magnetic ux conducting stator systemwholly supported in a novel manner in a two-part housing made mostly ofmolded insulating material, such as Bakelite or hard rubber, whichhousing or support is in turn mounted in a water-tight radio shieldingcasing in such a manner as to render the same easily removable. Saidhousing comprises a hollow cylinder-like member II (Figs. 1 to 3) and anend plate or cover I2 therefor (Fig. 1) secured thereto by a pluralityof set screws I4 (Fig. 4). Plate I2 may be made of metal, if desired,and may be provided with one or more holes for Ventilating purposes.

The stator poles of the magnetic flux conducting system compriseelongated laminated pole shoes I5 and IB (four in each set), molded intothe walls of housing member I I withrone'edge surface of each beingexposed at the inner periphery of said housing member for cooperationwith rotor IG in a manner to be hereinafter described. The two sets ofpole shoes I5 and I 5 extend axially of the rotor, those of one setalternating with and overlapping those of the other set, as best seen inFigs. 2 and 3. The left ends of pole shoes I5 and the right ends of poleshoes I5 (as viewed in the drawing), are mechanically and magneticallyconnected by laminated rings I1 and I8, respectively, which are alsoembedded in the molded housing member II. Said rings have integralextensions I9 and 2D, respectively, that project radially from themolded housing and serve as seats for the core 2| of a coil 22 (Fig. 1)whereby the magnetic ilux circuit is closed or completed. Said coil andcore may be suitably secured to rings II and I8 by spring clips 23 whichengage the upper notched surfaces of the core and the flanges ofbrackets 24 attached to the sides of extensions I9 and 2D.

Rotatably supported in housing I I, I2 by roller bearings 26 and 21 isthe magnetic rotor I6. The latter is of the eight-pole type andcomprises an axially magnetized cylindrical magnet 28 with the north andsouth poles thereof as indicated by the letters N and S or Vice versa.The magnet is positioned on a shaft 29 for rotation therewith by a pairof magnetic flux conducting end plates 3'! and 32 which are pinned orotherwise suitably secured to the shaft and have Vaxially extendingcircumferentially spaced pole shoes 33 and 34, respectively, formedintegrally'therewith. Pole shoes 33 alternate with and extend intooverlapping relation with pole shoes 3e' asbest seen in Figs. 1 and 5.During rotationY ofthe rotor by the engine through splined couplingmember 35, the sets of rotor pole shoes 33 and 3,4? cooperatealternately and simultaneously with theV sets of stator pole shoes l andmaximum use of the available magnetic iux. In

`thiswayv the direction of flow of magnetic. iiux through the magneticcircuit which includes coil core 2 I is reversed eight times during eachrevolution of the rotor, thereby providing for eight spark discharges.`The magnet and rotorV pole shoev assembly may be further secured toshaft Z9 by interposing the same between a shoulder on the shaft and anut 36 threaded on the shaft.

Shaft bearing 26 and an oil seal 3'! oi any suitable known constructionmay be positioned in' molded housingmember l l by a ring 3e secured inplace by a plurality of'threaded bolts 39 which threadedly engage a'nutmember dit. Bearing 2i preferably has a drive t in a metal ring moldedor cast in cover' l2'.

The right hander-1d of shaft 29 extends through bearing 21 and has acombined distributor rotor and circuit breaker cam mounted thereon forrotation therewith. As shown, a anged hub member 41 is keyed to theshaft and is secured thereon byl a nut '42. An insulating disk orcup-like member 43 of hard rubber or the like is secured to the flangeof' member 4I by bolts 44. The outer `periphery of disk i3 is shaped toconstitute an eight-lobe cam (Fig. 4) for opening the contacts of acircuit breaker eight times during each revolution of the rotor shaft,The circuit breaker; which is not shown in Fig. l in the interest ofclarity, may be of any suitable known design and is adjustably mountedon a radially extending portion 45 (Fig. 4) of housing cover i2. In theform illustrated,'the breaker comprises a stationary contact 46engageable by a movable contactv 41 mounted on a exible spring e3 whichis actuated by cam i3 through the medium of a metallic cam follower e9carried by the spring. Although only some of the electrical connectionsare shown, a condenser 5l is connected in the usual manner in shunt withcontacts 4S and il?, one of which is connected to ground and the otherto the primary winding of coil 22.

Cam member 43 also serves as the rotary element of an electrical currentdistributor which includes a distributor block 52 of suitable insulatingmaterial. Said block is provided with a center terminal 53' connectedthrough conductors 5e and 55 to the high potential terminal 5S of thesecondary winding of coil 22. When the distributory block is secured inposition on housing I l, i2, '.as'illustra'ted, by means of bolts 5i,terminal 53 is: yielda-bly engaged by spring contact 5t oarried byrotating disk d'3. Said Contact engages an electrode 59 which moves intospark gap relation withl each of eight circumferentially spaced outputelectrodes 6l circularly arranged in distributor block 52. in a mannerwell 4understood l 5, therebyr makingin the art. In the interest ofclarity only one of .the electrodes 6l is illustrated (Fig. 1).

The parts of the complete magneto-distributor 'unit described above,including housing Il, i2, rotor assembly Hi, 29s, 43, circuit breaker46, lil, condenser 5i, and distributor block 52 are secured togetherVand removably mounted in a metallic casing member 62. The latter has anopening 63 in one end thereof which serves as a pilot and support forthe cylindrical endportion 5410i housing member Il. A ring S5 of rubberor similar yieldable material is interposed between theinner wall ofcasing member 62 and a bevelled annular surface S6 on housing member Iland is'surrounded by an internal ange 6l on the: casing member. Ring Seis placed under compression during assembly of the parts and functionsnot only as a gasket but also "as a cushion between the magneto unit andthe surrounding casing to absorb shock.` andivibraton.

The other end of themagneto distributor assembly or unit is' supportedby a plural-ityl of bolts 68 (Fig. 4). which extendthrough-flanges onhousing members ii and l2 and. threadedly engage tapped bosses 69vwithin casing member 62. That portion of the magneto unit notsurroundedV by casing member 52 is covered by an intermediate casingsection 'li and aV cover l2 both of which are; secured to: member 62 bya plurality of bolts 'i3A If desired, casingsection H maybe integralwith. member E2;

Each output electrode El of the distributor terminates with a springcontact. id in a tapered recess 15. Resilient adaptor means 16 and awater-tight cover Ti (only'partially shown) `may be provided forconnecting the contacts 'M1 to outgoing radio shieldedV spark plug leads78 and for closing the opening i9 in cover 'l2 in a watertight manner.The left end of casing 62 may be adjustably secured to the enginecasing4 (not shown) in a water-tight manner by means of bolts extendingthrough. the slotted bosses SI. The water-tight casing thus enables themagneto to operate satisfactorily when the same is immersed in water,such as when the same are installed on submersible and amphibiousmilitary vehicles or the like.

Cover member 'l2 is provided with a receptacle or socket 82 for a radioshielded lead and terminal to connect the insulated side of the circuitbreakerl and hence, the primary winding of coil 22 to ground through anignition switch in a manner which is understoodin thezart. In order toguard against operation ofV the magneto when the terminal is removed'from socket 8.2, novel means are provided for effecting the electricalconnections. Two leaf spring contacts 93 and et are mounted on the innerside of cover 72 with the fixed ends thereof insulated from the cover.When the cover i2 is installed spring 94 makes contact with a plate S3which is connected to the insulated side of the circuit breaker. Spring93 extends across socket 82 for contact with the terminal (not shown) ofthe ignition switch lead that extends through tting 32. When theterminal is removed, contact spring S3 engages cover l2, therebygrounding the coil 22 and rendering the device inoperative. The locationof springs 93 and 94 is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

Novel means are provided for applying a'lubricant insatisfactory'quantities to thesurface of cam Q3. In the form shown, saidoiler is mounted in the wall of casing member Il in radial alignmentwith the cam, the same comprising a hollow nut 8d threadedly secured inan opening in casing member 1I. Slidably disposed within nut 84 is acylindrical container 85 which is closed at one end by element 86 whichmay be integral therewith. Container 85 is substantially filled with alubricant saturated Wick 31 which projects from the inner end thereoffor actuation into contact with cam 43. Unitary means in the form of abellows 83 are provided for both excluding water and for yieldablyholding the parts in position with the wick out of contact with thesurface of cam 43. The lower end of the bellows is attached, such as bysoldering, tc nut 8d and the upper end thereof is similarly attached andmechanically secured to the end 86 of the container. When it is desiredto apply a lubricant to the cam surface, it is merely necessary to applymanual pressure in the direction of the arrow, thereby compressingbellows 83 and moving the wick against the cam. Upon release of thepressure the bellows will withdraw the wick away from the cam. Meanssuch as a pin 89 may be provided for holding the wick against movementrelative to its container. If desired the space l!! may be lled orpartially lled with liquid lubricant. When wick Si is saturated andpressed against the cam surface, it will leave a spot of lubricant onthe latter which will in turn be spread over the surface of the cam bycam follower 49 during rotation of the former. If desired, the wick maybe held against the cam while the latter is rotated.

There is thus provided a simple and enicient magneto-distributor oflight weight construction which is novelly housed to exclude water evenduring complete submersion and to provide goed radio shielding.Additionally, the casing-magneto unit combination comprehended by thepresent invention provides for ready removal of the electrical unit fromthe casing without necessity for disturbing the adjustment of the casingand hence the unit itself relative to the engine and without necessityfor access to fastening bolts or the like in the crowded space adjacentthe engine.

Although only a single embodiment of the invention is illustrated in thedrawings and described in detail in the foregoing specication, it is tobe expressly understood that the same is not limited thereto. Variousnovel features of the illustrated construction could be used incombination with other types of specific elements. For example, otherspecic types of magnetic rotors or magnetic flux distributors could beemn ployed and other types of distributor constructions could be usedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the broader aspects ofthe invention, Other changes could also be made in the size, shape andarrangement of the parts illustrated as well as in the kinds ofmaterials suggested without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as will now be understood by those skilled in the art. For adeiinition of the limits of the invention reference is had primarily tothe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A magneto generator including a housing comprising a body ofinsulating material and a cover, magnetic flux conducting stator poleserrbedded in said body and having extensions projecting from said body,a magnetic flux conducting core connecting said extensions, a coil woundon said core, a magnetic flux distributing rotor mounted in said housingand adapted to cooperate with said stator poles, a metallic casingadapted to be adjustably secured to an engine or the like, said casinghaving an opening in the end thereof adjacent the engine for slidablyreceiving an extension at one end of said housing, and means forsupporting the other end of said housing in said casing and for securingthe same in predetermined fixed relation within the casing.

2. For combination with an internal combustion engine or the like, acasing comprising a main body portion adapted to be adjustably securedlat one end to an engine and removable cover means for the other end ofsaid body portion, an operable self-contained unit comprising anignition distributor and a magneto generator removably mounted in saidmain body portion in a predetermined fixed position relative thereto,and means for drivably connecting the rotatable parts of said unit to adriving part of the engine when said unit is mounted in the casing onthe engine, said unit being removable from the casing as an operableunit when the casing is mounted on the engine, one end of said casinghaving an opening of sufficient size to pass said connecting means andthe other end being opened suiciently by r-emoval of said cover means topass said unit.

3. For combination with an internal combustion engine or the like, asubstantially watertight sectional casing adapted to be mounted forangular adjustment on the engine, a magneto generator unit in saidcasing, said unit including a mass of molded insulation in whichmetallic parts of the unit are embedded and one end of said unit beingsupported by a cylindrical extension of said mass slidably engaging anopening in the wall of said casing adjacent the engine, and meansremovable through the outer end of said casing for supporting the otherend of said unit in the casing in a predetermined fixed positiontherein.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a casing adapted to beadjustably secured on an engine or the like, a unit comprisingelectrical current generating means removably mounted in said casing ina predetermined fixed position relative thereto, and means for drivablyconnecting said current generating means to the driving member of anengine, said unit being removable from the casing in operating conditionwhen the casing is mounted on an engine and said casing having anopening in one wall of suiiicient size to pass said connecting means anda normally covered opening in another wall of sufficient size toV passsaid unit.

5. Apparatus as deiined in claim 4 wherein said unit includes anelectrical current distributor comprising a rotatable part secured tothe rotor of the current generating means and a stationary terminalblock mounted for cooperation with said rotatable part.

6. Apparatus as dened in claim 4 wherein said unit includes a circuitbreaker and electrical current distributing means comprising a rotatablepart carrying an electrode and a stationary contact block mounted forcooperation with said electrode, said rotatable part having a camsurface for periodically operating said circuit breaker.

7. For combination with an engine, a sectional casing adapted to beadjustably secured to the engine and including cover means forming theend of the casing remote from the engine, an electrical currentgenerating unit removably mounted in said casing and including a circuitbreaker having an insulated terminal, an opening in said cover means forreceiving a removable terminal, a resilient contact member mounted onand insulated from said, cover means, adapted, to engage. said`insulated terminal when the cover means is in, casing-closing position,and resilient Contact means-having one end electrically connected tosaid resilient contact member and insulated from said cover means, theother end of said resilient Contact means being adapted to electricallyengage said removable terminal when the latter is installed in saidopening and to electrieally engage said cover means When said removableterminal is. Withdrawn.

RICHARD B. CLARK'.

REFERENCES CITED They iollowing references are. ofv record in the le ofthis patent:

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